Why I’m Running My Third Marathon
Today (Monday, June 17th) marks 16 training weeks until the 2024 Wineglass Marathon and my official first day of training for my third marathon. Choosing to run a marathon is no small commitment, as any who have trained for 26.2 can confirm. Although completing each long run feels like a proud accomplishment, many of the miles end up sucking. You’re tired, hungry, cranky, and sore for hours (and days) after tough sessions and it adds an extra element of planning for every weekend, friend trip, and vacation. Of course, training and running a marathon is also an empowering and rewarding experience, but all the time and energy that goes into it have to be taken seriously, making the choice to train for a marathon a meaningful one.
My goal for this marathon is to train as effectively and realistically as possible in order to run my very best and achieve a sub 3:50 marathon time. This would be a PR for me by at least 4+ minutes. I want to answer the question - If I continue to train to the best of my ability, how well can I perform at this event? I’ll also be training for and racing the Wineglass Marathon at the same time as my Dad which will make this race even more special.
In 2018, I ran my first marathon because of and in celebration of my Dad. Since he started running in 2003, and I joined a Girls on the Run program at my elementary school the same year, running has been a special bond for us. That year my Dad ran his first half marathon and I ran my first 5K with him by my side. In 2004, my Dad ran his first 26.2, the Baltimore Marathon. Many years and marathons later, my Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. That same year I decided to run the 2018 Baltimore Marathon while he couldn’t run. Running a marathon wasn’t a dream of mine but it felt right at that time and I was excited to make an impact as I fundraised for the American Cancer Society. It was a memorable experience as I ran familiar streets lined with familiar faces and had the chance to connect with my Dad through running in a new way. It was also memorable in that I had never felt so much pain - physical and mental - while running. I crossed the finish line in 3:57:29.
After that tough but meaningful experience I didn’t have the urge to run another marathon for 5 years until I felt pulled to be a part of a large marathon and train for the 2023 Chicago Marathon. I wanted to prove to myself that I could get through weeks of long runs, workouts and strength sessions and race a marathon again. At the time, I hadn’t been running a lot before starting to train so I worked from running 1 mile on day 1 of training to confidently lining up at the start knowing I could run a smart race. The race experience was amazing - flat course, perfect running weather, no major mishaps. I ran even splits to finish in 3:54:05. I felt good about my new 3+ minute PR and felt it reflected the fitness and strength I had at the time.
Now, one year later, I’m excited and ready to see if I can shave more time off that marathon PR. Similar to before I started training for Chicago last year, I haven’t been running many miles leading into training (the past few weeks have been 10-15 miles), but I’m ready to build from where I’m at and see how I can continue to improve at the marathon distance. I learned a lot from my first two marathons and I’m ready to apply those lessons to make this training cycle my strongest yet. In my two prior marathons I feel as though I trained well for where I was at the time and I’m very proud of the consistent, smart races I ran. I also know that I can run a lot faster at the marathon distance if I put the time and energy into training. I am looking at this marathon as another stepping stone towards, hopefully, ultimately running an overall PR that reflects my full potential. I know it will take a few consistent years of running and I’m ready to dive in!
I also can’t wait to celebrate my Dad. Almost exactly 20 years after his first Baltimore Marathon, he’s back to run marathon 12, 13, maybe 14? (not sure of the exact count) at Wineglass. Running has brought so many amazing things into my life and the shared experiences with my Dad is one of my favorites.
In an effort to document and share my third time working towards 26.2, I’ve decided to start a blog. If no one reads it but me, it will still be worth it to have a place to reflect on the days, weeks, and months that will build up to the marathon finish line. If you care to join along, welcome! My plan is to post a weekly training recap every Sunday (let’s see how that goes…) and other updates as I see fit along the way. There will be typos, run-on sentences and my (mostly) unfiltered thoughts as I focus more on posting than perfecting. If you’re also marathon training, working towards another race, or just want to say hi, drop a comment! Let the adventure begin and I’ll talk to you Sunday!